Antarctica & Arctic

"Ice losses are rapidly spreading deep into the interior of the Antarctic, new analysis of satellite data shows."

"The United States has refused to sign an agreement on challenges in the Arctic due to discrepancies over climate change wording, diplomats said on Tuesday, jeopardising cooperation in the polar region at the sharp edge of global warming."

"The Antarctic’s second-largest colony of emperor penguins collapsed in 2016, with more than 10,000 chicks lost, and the population has not recovered, according to a new study."

"There has never been commercial fishing in the central Arctic Ocean — the part that surrounds the North Pole and is beyond any country’s jurisdiction. But with ice-free conditions projected within this century, countries are already preparing for how to deal with that possibility in the future."

"An iceberg roughly twice the size of New York City is set to break away from an Antarctic ice shelf as a result of a rapidly spreading rift that is being monitored by NASA."

"An iceberg twice the size of New York City is about to break off of Antarctica's Brunt Ice Shelf, according to NASA."

"As warming brings earlier spring rains in the Arctic, more permafrost thaws, releasing more methane in a difficult-to-stop feedback loop, research shows."

"Increasing spring rains in the Arctic could double the increase in methane emissions from the region by hastening the rate of thawing in permafrost, new research suggests.

"Human emissions of greenhouse gases are driving rapid warming all over the globe — particularly in the Arctic, where temperatures are rising at about twice the global rate. But there's another form of carbon in the atmosphere that may also be playing a role."

"The ice in Antarctica is melting six times faster than it did just 40 years ago, a new study reports.

This dramatic acceleration of the ice loss is a clear indication of human-caused climate change, the study authors said.

Lead author Eric Rignot, an ice scientist at the University of California–Irvine, said the melting ice has caused global sea levels to rise more than half an inch since 1979.  

While that may not sound like much, the amount is certainly alarming to climate scientists, as it's a preview of things to come:"